BMI calculator: How to work out if you're overweight or obese

ARE you underweight, normal, overweight or obese? Find out once and for all using this BMI calculator.

Published 30th November 2016

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HEALTH: BMI works by maintaining a healthy balance between a person’s height and weight

The BMI Calculator has become one of the simplest ways for both you and the NHS to decipher whether you are overweight or not in recent years - and has become pivotal in helping people maintain a healthy size.

Body Mass Index (BMI) works by maintaining a healthy balance between a person’s height and weight - giving you a number that determines how high or low you are on the chart.

On the chart, the optimal number for someone to be is 23 - marking a perfect balance between your height and weight and therefore at it’s ‘healthiest’. The higher you are from this number, the more overweight you are considered, and the lower you are, the more underweight you are deemed to be.

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WEIGHT: Anyone under 18.5 is considered underweight

Anyone under 18.5 is considered underweight, 18.5-24.9 is considered normal, 25- 29.9 is considered overweight, with anyone over this number falling into the obese category.

Determining this number helps doctors on the NHS understand on a basic level how susceptible you are to a number of diseases and ailments - including heart disease, diabetes and certain types of cancer.

It also means that a person can be alerted to their potential health risks before they become a serious problem by adopting a stricter diet and exercising more frequently in order to lower their BMI level.

An underweight result could be a sign that you are not eating enough or could be the first symptom of a more serious condition. Losing weight fast with little adaptation to your diet could be a sign of diabetes, or if you stay underweight no matter how much you eat could be a sign of an overactive thyroid.

Staying underweight increases the risk of osteoporosis as you get older and dependant on your diet could leave you open to developing anaemia.

If you are overweight or obese, it could be that you are eating too much and can lower your weight with a calorie controlled diet. It also means you are at risk of heart disease, stroke or type 2 diabetes.

Maintaining an overweight or obese weight puts you at greater risk of diseases such as high blood pressure and cholesterol issues.

Measuring your waist could also be a good indicator of how much fat you are carrying around your stomach, which is another warning sign of potential health problems.

However, there are exceptions to the calculator that means the chart may not be entirely accurate.

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For example, it doesn’t take into account muscle mass as a factor for heavier weights and therefore athletes can appear to have a higher BMI despite the fact they have kept their body in optimal shape.

Others who may also exhibit weights exempt from the BMI Calculator include those who are shorter than 5ft tall and pregnant women.